


She Speaks Snake

by Buffyworldbuilder



Series: A Death Eater's Redemption [6]
Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV), Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-11
Updated: 2020-11-11
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:35:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,951
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27506965
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Buffyworldbuilder/pseuds/Buffyworldbuilder
Summary: This follows soon after "The Watcher's Council" and has Buffy looking for a harmless distraction as they have a break in the weather. While outside, she discovers both danger and something new about herself as Buffy Malfoy learns that she is not as safe at Hogwarts as she believed. However, Death Eaters and Voldemort would soon discover that this teenager is not so easy to kill.
Series: A Death Eater's Redemption [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1875847
Comments: 4
Kudos: 25





	She Speaks Snake

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own BTVS or HP

Lucius’ campaign to hurt his former Death Eaters was starting to get noticed. Of course, Severus was the first to side with him when he found out how they were betrayed and had begun his own attack to hurt his fellow Death Eaters. His mission was his alone, and not even Albus knew of the vials of poisons that were making their ways into the foods of the prisoners at Azkaban. Lucius, though, had no idea that Severus had long ago left the enemy camp and was already aligned with Albus. Severus had decided that Lucius need not know about when his loyalties had changed, but only that now Lucius could depend on Severus. This would give the Order a clear window into whatever Lucius had planned. Although Albus would like to bring Lucius into the Order, Severus believed it would be better to let Lucius work his own damage on the inside.

None of the men dreamed that enemy would dare go after Buffy again.

They were wrong.

It was finally warm in Scotland, and Buffy was so excited that she got her house to spend a day lounging at the lake after their afternoon classes. She’d dragged her brother along. He’d gotten used to spending time with lions as it was impossible to say no to his sister. No one could, and anyone who insulted him didn’t get hexed, they got punched. Well, if they were older than Draco. She detested bullies. If it was Ron or anyone Draco’s own age, a glare from Buffy normally put an end to it. Draco, of course, got slapped on the back of the head or elbowed in the stomach. By her second week at Hogwarts, he’d learned to keep his comments to himself. Naturally, it’d taken Ron two weeks longer.

Harry, though, didn’t have to be told. He just respected family and never once tried to insult Draco. Draco hated to admit it, but Harry normally reacted to his attitude. When Draco had offered his friendship the first day on the train and Harry didn’t immediately accept it, taking his cue from Weasley, Draco had been both hurt and insulted. He had overcompensated and gone on the attack. Harry was a lot like Draco’s sister—very loyal and protective of those he cared about. Harry clearly adored Draco’s sister, so he wasn’t about to alienate Draco, which he now found ironic. In fact, Draco found the entire situation surreal.

Buffy was now the sun that all of the first years revolved around. However, it seemed all of Gryffindor did, too, especially the Weasley clan. The twins were open in their adoration of his sister, but he had caught Percy watching her like she was a magical creature he didn’t understand. The fact that she _was_ a magical creature wasn’t lost on Draco.

His sister was teaching them a ridiculous game she called Red Rover.

“Since I’m stronger than all of you, I’ll not play but direct how it works,” she said after she split everyone into two teams. She managed to drag a few wandering Hufflepuffs and Theo and Crabbe. Before explaining how it worked, she moved people around according to size and strength so that the two teams were equally divided.

“I don’t like sports,” Hermione complained.

“This isn’t a sport,” Buffy said. “It’s a game.”

Hermione frowned, not sure it was much different.

“Try something besides reading won’t kill you,” Draco said.

Hermione glared but said nothing. She idolized his sister, who never made her feel bad for loving books. Instead, Buffy admired her, forever comparing her to her best friend Willow and her absent mentor, who she clearly missed a lot. It made Draco hate Granger even more because he had even more competition for his sister’s affection.

“So the game is this. Each person locks their arms or hands with each other’s to form a rope barrier—no magic—that’s cheating. This is all about physical strength,” Buffy said. “You ask someone from the other team—normally you pick who you think is least likely to break your barrier of hands and arms—to come by saying, ‘Red Rover, Red Rover, send, Fred right over.’” His twin laughed and elbowed him. “Or whoever you’re picking. The entire team chants that. Got it?”

Everyone nodded. “The idea is to get as many of the opposite team’s people as you can,” Buffy explained. She didn’t know what made her think of this game that she hadn’t played since she was in the fourth grade, but the magic of this world was so overwhelming. Her old life was slipping away, and she wanted desperately to hold onto it as much as she could. Her sister wasn’t back yet, and she needed to do something that reminded her of her old life. She had just met Giles’ doppelganger, and he was head of the Watcher’s Council and married to her adopted mother’s doppelganger. This Saturday, she was supposed to see him again, and she was very anxious to see if he would agree to be her watcher. In the meantime, she needed a distraction.

They played her silly game for an hour, finding it more fun than at first glance. Soon, several other students from other houses wanted to join in, making the two sides bigger. When they tired of the game, they asked her for another one of her games, and she asked them if they knew of tug-of-war. They did not. When she described how it worked, Percy Weasley, transfigured his tie into a long rope, earning him a hug from Buffy, which caused him to turn nearly as red as his hair.

Then it became house versus house. Students began pouring outside as students went to get other students. Even the Ravenclaws joined in, wanting a chance at the rope. Slytherins had the biggest bodies, though, and beat the Hufflepuffs.

Albus and Minerva were watching the commotion from the balcony. “This is chaos, Albus. We should put a stop to it,” she said.

“Nonsense,” he said. “They are willfully engaging in exercise, my dear. Fresh air and no magic. When is the last time they did that without a trip to Hogsmeade at the end of it?”

Minerva realized he had a point. “That’s true,” she said.

“Besides, it’s your house that’s responsible for it anyway,” he said.

“Why do you say that?” she asked.

“Surely, you know?” Albus said with a grin as Severus approached to look upon the scene.

“What’s she done now?” Severus asked.

“She is teaching them how to play outside,” Albus said. Smiling, he headed back inside.

“Oh,” Severus said.

“Do you mean Buffy Malfoy?” Minerva asked.

“Of course,” Severus said. “Only she could cause so many different groups of people to willingly interact. She has Potter and Weasley playing nice with her brother, which is a miracle.”

“That is true,” Minerva said.

“What in the world?” Severus said as all the students seemed to shift to one side and his goddaughter stood alone.

“You best go down there and make sure things don’t get out of hand,” Minerva said.

Severus did just that, and when he did, he realized that the students had decided to challenge Buffy to a tug-of-war contest. After his house had beat out the other three houses, a few of the seventh-year students suggested that Buffy was full of crap—there was no such thing as vampire slayers. She had no mystical strength. Since she had stopped Professor Quirrell, many students, however, knew now she was not a typical wizard, especially since Lucius had award both her and Harry for their act of bravery.

“Vampire slayers are myths. There’s no way you are stronger than any guy here,” Marcus Flint said. He must have forgotten that she had knocked him on his butt once already.

“Well, I guess I can prove it,” Buffy said with a shrug. “Why don’t the strongest of you get on the rope, and I’ll get on the other end? I bet I can beat all your combined strength.”

Their cries of disbelief just made Buffy’s smile bigger. Her godfather joined them just as she pulled the rope, yanking the Slytherin house so hard some of them came off their feet.

Her house cheered.

“Buffy that is quite enough,” her godfather said.

“We’re just having some fun, Uncle Severus,” she said.

“I have told you to call me Professor Snape,” he said, glaring at her.

“You said when I’m in class. I’m not in class,” she said, giving him a cheeky smirk. “And don’t think of taking points off because we’re not breaking any rules.”

“Ten points from Gryffindor for being cheeky,” he said sternly. He had to work hard to maintain his normal tough exterior—she made it difficult as he always wanted to laugh at her brazeness.

She laughed. “That’s the most bogus thing I’ve ever heard. You’re just mad ‘cause I beat your entire house!” she declared.

He rolled his eyes and walked away while his dignity was intact as there was no way he was ever going to win a verbal argument with her. The laughter that followed his exit he pointedly ignored.

Draco and the rest of the Slytherins surrounded her. “How do you do that?” Marcus Flint asked. “You get away with saying things that would normally get the rest of us in detention for months.”

“I can’t believe he just walked away,” Adrian Pucey said in awe.

“You don’t call him uncle,” Crabbe said to Draco. “Why does your sister?”

“Because she’s braver than I,” Draco said with a shrug. 

“He’s our godfather,” Buffy said. “I’ve always called him that, and he loves me more than he loves Draco.” She grinned and winked at her brother to take out the sting of her words. Her brother rolled her eyes.

“Are these snakes bothering you?” Fred asked.

“Because if they are, Oliver will beat them up for you,” George said, pointing to the Quidditch Keeper standing behind them.

Buffy turned around smiled grinned at the adorable Weasley twins. God, they made her miss Xander so much, and they brought her immense comfort at the same time. The one time they’d dare prank her she had recruited both their brothers, who she knew would be dying for major payback, to plan an ultimate revenge. Not only had they been blue, but bubbles came out every time they spoke for an entire day. It was hilarious. Both Percy and Ron now held her in high esteem, but the twins saw her as their equal and never tried to bother her again. Instead, they were always trying to recruit her.

“Guys, I’m fine,” she assured him. “They were just asking about my relationship with Uncle Severus.”

“Snape is your uncle?” George asked.

“No way!” Fred said.

“He’s my godfather,” she said.

“That’s how come you get away with so much!” George said with a grin.

“I’m going to go sit by the water,” Buffy said. “I’ll catch you clowns later.”

She walked toward the water. “I guess she really is a vampire slayer,” Marcus Flint said.

“Told you,” Draco said with a glare.

Buffy sat down at the water’s edge and stared at the water, remembering dozens of times she was at the ocean in Los Angeles with Hank and Joyce. She had memories of being there building sandcastles with Dawn even though she knew they were false memories. They didn’t go as often in Sunnydale, but they had gone a few times. It was weird to think of a version of her mother alive in this world, but the woman wouldn’t know her. The Joyce of this world wouldn’t love her or have any connection at all to her outside of Giles.

Percy Weasley watched the melancholy set in on her face as she sat on the grass, and he wrestled with a desire to join her. However, Harry, Hermione, and his brother Ron did so. She was so different from any girl he had ever met. Her tale of living until she was twenty in another world seemed outlandish, but the headmaster did not dispute it. Although she was a Malfoy, she had been sorted in his house, so his family did not look at her with suspicion as they did her brother and all other Slytherins. Her dismissal of house sorting and declaring it as a way to promote bigotry had at first shocked and offended Percy since he was a traditionalist in many ways. Yet he knew that she was not wrong. The hat had nearly sorted him into Ravenclaw, but he had wanted to be where his brothers were. Of course, as a purebred family, he could have easily been sorted into Slytherin, but he came from a long line of rebels. His uncles had died fighting Voldemort in the first war, devastating his mother. He didn’t know if he was as brave as them or his brothers, but when he looked at Buffy, he wanted to be.

Casting one lingering look her way, he then turned and went back toward the castle.

Buffy was lost in thought as the first years from her house sat down around her. Ron and Harry started throwing rocks into the water while Ron was trying to teach Harry how to skip stones.

_“Stupid humans.”_

Buffy looked at Ron, who was standing to her right, and her brother was to her left. Neither of them was talking. “Did you hear that?” she asked Draco.

“Hear what?” Draco asked.

_“They shouldn’t throw things in the water.”_

“Harry,” Buffy said. “Stop. Did you hear that?”

Harry stopped and listened.

“Why is Potter hissing at that snake?” Draco asked.

“Snake? What snake?” Buffy asked her brother, looking around.

Draco pointed at the small snake on the piece of wood by the bank of the lake.

“He’s not hissing,” Buffy said as she listened to Harry talk to the snake. “He asked the snake what it was doing. Why is Harry talking to a snake? Harry, that’s kind of weird. Why are you talking to a snake?”

“You understood Potter?” Draco asked in shock. “He’s speaking parseltongue.”

“What’s that?” Buffy asked.

“It’s the ability to talk to snakes,” her brother explained. “If you understood what he was saying, then you must have it too. You must’ve been understanding whatever that snake was saying.”

“Really?” Buffy asked, wrinkling her nose. “That’s really freaky.”

“It’s actually very rare—only the Dark Lord was the last known parseltonuge until Potter,” he said. “Now you. Two Gryffindor. It’s just wrong.” He shook his head in confusion.

“There’s something in the water,” Harry said. “He says we should get away from the lake.”

“Of course, there’s something in the water,” Buffy said. “Hagrid’s got that giant squid in the lake.”

“No, I don’t think that’s it,” Harry said, moving away and pulling Ron with him, who grabbed Hermione, pulling her away with them.

Buffy jumped up just as a very large snake sprung out of the water and attacked her. Draco scrambled away as a few students nearby screamed in horror, but his sister didn’t. Instead, she grabbed the snake’s neck.

“My Master requires your death,” it said.

“Who are you?” Buffy asked the snake. To the students, they were hearing her hissing at the giant snake she was holding. The entire scene was surreal for the onlookers.

“I am Nagini, and you must die!” it hissed as it tried to pull itself out of Buffy’s grip. However, Buffy was much stronger than it anticipated.

She wasn’t sure if a snake’s neck could be broken like a demon’s, she squeezed it hard with her left hand, her nails pressing in so tightly that the snake’s hide was pierced. With her right hand, she reached for the top of its mouth avoiding its poisonous fangs. Then she wrenched it hard, pulling its mouth wide open, killing it.

“Oh Godric! I can’t believe it!”

“That was amazing!”

“Did you see what she did?”

“I get why she wasn’t sorted in our house! She’s insane! Only a nutty lion would do something so crazy!”

“That was the bravest thing I ever saw!”

“That snake almost ate Buffy!”

Draco didn’t say a word, however, until his sister threw down the snake, grimacing with distaste. “I wish I could say that was the biggest snake I’ve ever killed, but it’s not. It’s the third,” she said with a sigh.

Draco flung himself in his sister’s arm, terrified that he almost lost her when she just found her.

“Hey, I’m okay,” she said, hugging him.

“You almost died,” he said against her chest.

Buffy lifted his chin up, so she could look at him. “No, not really,” she said. “I know it’s hard for you to understand, baby brother, but a snake can’t kill me. My mayor turned into a forty foot one at my high school graduation and ate my principal. I blew it up with dynamite. Another was about twenty feet that tried to attack my sister, I beat it to death with my fists and a sword. I’m really hard to kill, and even with I die, I still come back.” She smiled and kissed his cheek. “I will always come back to you.”

Draco turned red but felt better at her words.

“Are you all right?” Harry asked her, looking down at the dead snake.

“I’m fine,” Buffy assured him.

“ _You killed it. Maybe you’re not a stupid human after all,”_ the snake on the log said.

Buffy looked at the snake and laughed. “Thanks, I guess,” she said to it.

“You’re like me,” Harry said, looking at her with hero worship. “You can understand them.”

Buffy nodded. “I guess so,” she said. “Must be the slayer side of me.”

“That snake is huge!” Ron said looking at it. He kicked it with his foot.

Professor Snape made it to the circle of students, ordering students back inside, so they begin to disperse. “That includes you, Potter,” he said.

“She’s a parseltongue, Professor,” Harry said. “Like me.”

“Really?” Severus said, looking at Buffy, who shrugged.

“I guess so. The snake on the log was talking, and I understood it. Then Harry was talking to it, and I understood him. Then that giant snake came out of the water,” she explained.

“I believe that is Nagini, the familiar of the Dark Lord,” he said.

“Seriously?” Buffy said.

“It seems some of the Death Eaters want you dead or are looking to punish your father for his defection,” Severus said.

“How could they control another’s familiar?” Hermione asked.

“That’s a very good question,” Severus said.

A very good question, indeed. However, Buffy didn’t think they had it exactly right. “I don’t think it was sent by just a Death Eater because it said, ‘My master requires your death,’ before it attacked me. If it was sent by a Death Eater, it wouldn’t have said my master.”

“It might’ve if someone told it that your death would please the Dark Lord,” Hermione pointed out.

“We must Floo your father and tell him of this. He will not like it if we wait until he returns tomorrow,” Severus said to Buffy.

Her housemates left as she and her godfather make their way to the headmaster’s office to contact her father. Severus dreaded telling Lucius that he nearly lost his daughter again.

“Don’t worry, Uncle Sev,” Buffy told him. “I wasn’t actually in that much danger.”

Severus glanced at her, frowning. “You almost died, Buffy. You were in danger.”

Buffy laughed. “That wasn’t danger,” she said. “That wasn’t even the biggest or second biggest snake to try and kill me. The first one was around forty feet.”

“Really?” he asked.

Buffy nodded. “I keep telling you. I’m really hard to kill,” she said.

Severus knocked on Dumbledore’s office door as he contemplated that.

“How can I help you, Severus?” Albus asked. “Are the games over already?” He gave Buffy a warm smile.

Buffy beamed at him. “Yes. I beat them all at tug-of-war,” she said.

“Of course, you did,” he said, offering her his candy dish. She happily plucked a sweet out of it and popped it in her mouth. He was the coolest principal ever—so much better than that troll Synder.

“Buffy was attacked by Nagini,” Severus shared.

“I take it the snake is no more?” Albus asked, looking at Buffy with a smile.

“I killed it with my bear hands,” Buffy said smugly. “Oh, and guess what?”

“What?” Albus repeated.

“I speak snake,” she said.

“Excuse me?” he asked, looking to Severus.

Severus nodded. “She speaks snake—like Potter,” he said.

“Ah,” Albus said, understanding. To have no students speak the language and have their new star Gryffindor student speak it along with the up and coming star of his former house was most perplexing and unsettling to the very old wizard.

What did it mean? Why would Buffy Malfoy be a parseltongue? Why would Voldemort’s servant try to kill her? Was Harry right? Had Professor Quirrell been possessed of Voldemort’s spirit somehow? Was he looking for revenge?

“Do you think Buffy’s in danger?” Albus asked Severus.

“I do. Her parents need to know about this attack. I want to make a floo call,” Severus said.

“Please do,” Albus said.

“It’s no biggie,” Buffy said as Severus walked away to make the call.

“You don’t think nearly dying is a serious occasion?” he asked her.

Buffy shrugged. “I just don’t think I nearly died,” she said. “I’m kind of an expert on that particular subject. That snake didn’t even come close to killing me. I caught it easily, and I killed it in less than two minutes. It wasn’t even a fair fight. If the Dark Lord wants to kill me, he’s going to have to try a heck of lot harder. I’m a slayer—I’m not so easy to kill.”

Albus stared at her a long moment and then nodded. She was right—she wasn’t just a witch. Her slayer aspect gave her gifts and advantages that none of them realized. Her experience fighting on a hellmouth and even dying on one made her a very formidable ally and a dangerous enemy.

He smiled at Buffy. The prophecy may say that Harry was supposed to defeat Voldemort. However, Albus didn’t believe that Buffy would ever allow Harry to fight any foe unless she was standing in front of him as his shield—and if need be—his sword.

If Voldemort knew what was good for him, he would stay dead. Or he might find out that there was a young witch who already knew how to defeat death, and she was not afraid of him.

No, Albus didn’t believe that Buffy Malfoy was afraid of anything.

Then Severus said, “Buffy, your mother wants to talk to you.”

A look of fear came over Buffy.

Albus chuckled. Well, almost anything.

***** _The End*****_

_Did you enjoy this? I hope so. This is the last one I have written, but I do hope to write more when I find time. Review if you liked it. A few at TTH had suggested having Buffy as a parseltongue after I had already wrote this, which I found amusing. I am still considering other suggestions with this ability. Anything else you would love to see, feel free to suggest it, but don’t get upset it if I choose not to use it. Sometimes, great minds think alike. Sometimes, you give me ideas. Sometimes, your ideas are too complicated for me!_ _😉 Either way, don’t be afraid to review and leave a suggestion if you have one. Thanks for reading!_


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